Thumbs In Place of Guns
Thumbs and Ammo posits the idea: would it be funny to replace guns with thumbs up in stills from movies?
YES!
Super Intricate Paper Cuts by Eric Standley Look Like Stained Glass
Paper artist Eric Standley cuts and layers paper to construct to created these sculptural pieces that look like stained glass windows.
See also Layers of Cut Paper Create Unfathomable Forms
Frog Reliquaries from Artist and Scientist Brandon Ballengée
Artist and scientist Brandon Ballengée has created this series "Malamp – Reliquaries".
Ballengée:
"These reliquaries are created by chemically “clearing and staining” terminally deformed frogs found in nature. This process obscures direct representation- as I do not want to exhibit large images of “monsters”, which would be frightening and be exploitative to the organisms. This process is followed by high-resolution scanner photography of each specimen to create individual portraits. These portraits are printed as unique watercolor ink prints (never made into editions) and each individual frog will be centered appearing to “float” in what looks to be clouds."
Illustrated Additions on Strangers' Instagrams
London-based Brazilian illustrator Lucas Levitan's project on Instagram (http://instagram.com/lucaslevitan/), “Photo Invasion" involves him adding sometimes dark sometimes cheeky illustrations to the Instagram photos of people he follows.
Sub Shop - Fantastical Animated Short from PES
PES has brought us some awesome stuff before (The Deep: Stop-Motion Animation of Ordinary Things), and here is Submarine Sandwich. Love it.
An Actual Message in a Bottle Mailed Back from a 4-Year-Old Fijian Farmboy
A friend of our here at 5 things, San Francisco-based world traveller and tour guide Orion Kraus shared with us this story today:
About 6 months ago, I wrote a letter, stuck it in a Sailor Jerry bottle and included a $5 bill for postage. I then threw it in the middle of the deep blue sea during our 17-day passage from NZ to Fiji. I am still in wonder, but yesterday, the world just shrank a whole bunch!!!
Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows - The Videos
I just fell in love with The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, and now here are some awesome videos illustrating some of its best definitions.
Updated- New 8-bit Paintings by Adam Lister
Adam Lister has a pretty keen sense of style and humor. His 8-bit paintings, ranging from Breaking Bad, Super Heroes, and Star Wars to versions of Van Gogh and other iconic paintings, could just be a gag. But instead they have a tone and feel about them that is part nostalgic, part irreverent: a delicate homage.
You should buy these as giclee prints on his website.
Pop Culture Terracotta Warriors from Lizabeth Eve Rossof
San Francisco-based artist Lizabeth Eva Rossof created these familiary terracotta warriors to look like pop culture characters
Snow Drawings on Frozen Rivers and Lakes
Led by artist Sonja Hinrichsen, a 50+ volunteers trace out these enormous swirling decorative designs on the frozen Catamount Lake in Colorado.
From her project statement:
It is important to me that participants experience the elements of nature while they help me transform their own familiar snow landscape into a piece of art. I hope that the aerial photographs that I take right after completion of each piece can demonstrate also to a larger audience how the landscape is transformed into a piece of art through a system of designs. This changes our perception of the landscape and accentuates the beauty and magic of the natural environment, and thus inspires awe and appreciation for art as well as for nature. I deem this important – especially as modern society becomes increasingly disconnected from the natural world.
Our Gadgets Placed into 19th and 20th Century Masterpieces
Korean Illustrator Kim Dong-Kyu on his “Art X Smart” Tumblr puts our gadgets of today in the masterpieces of our past.
Why Uber Matters
Editor's note: We are happy to welcome Sean Scott founder of WeArePlaying.It as contributor.
Over the last few months, Uber, the startup juggernaut has seemingly had missteps on a weekly basis. For those unaware, here is a quick recap:
- Senior VP, Emil Michael in a half-drunken speech talks about hiring opposition researchers against media/journalist to launch a smear campaign
- Uber comes under fire for unveiling Creepy Stalker View at party, a mode where party goers were able to see the identity of Uber customers in transit and awaiting pick up
While there has been an uproar from media and some celebrities the companies still enjoys a privileged position in Silicon Valley. The question thus arises as to why?
Simply put, it's a cash and growth machine. Let's talk numbers (via Business Insiders):
- Uber is on a trajectory to gross $10 billion in 2015. That's billion not million.
- Uber keeps 20% of that gross before paying drivers.
- At that gross, it will have a growth rate year over year of 300%. That's 300% growth in total revenues from 2013 to 2014 and again 300% total revenue growth from 2014 to 2015.
- And here is the kicker. The majority of that revenue comes from just 10 cities. Uber operates currently in 150 cities in about 46 countries. That is the definition of scale and growth potential that is hard to pass up.
With little competition that is able to execute at their level, Uber will continue to receive a pass from investors when it comes to its weekly missteps. However, its branding could be negatively affected in the long and short term if it doesn't develop a better PR strategy and a better public posture / persona.
For more insight like these on tech startup, apps and video games subscribe to the twice weekly email newsletter, Bits & Pixels from WeArePlaying.It
Utrecht's Church Tower Above The Clouds
On a foggy day, a drone was able to catch this stunning footage of the Dom Tower of Utrecht, for the Dutch filmmakers Jelte Keur and Reinout van Schie.
Super Secret Lives [Not Very SFW, albeit just comics]
Greg Guillemin imagines The Secret Life of Superheroes, and they are super secret, the sort of stuff you do too. You can purchase them as prints through Guillemin’s Society6 page.
Surfing Among Glaciers and Icebergs - Photos by Chris Burkard
Chris Burkard travels from his Central California to places like Alaska, Norway and Iceland to take these blindingly beautiful photos that aim to “portrays the humble placement of the human in contrast to nature.”
Cartoon Anamorphic Street Paintings
Anamorphic Paintings French street artists Ella and Pitr that assemble into nearly 3D images when viewed from the right vantage.
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Osterich Egg Carvings
An artist who calls himself Eggdoodler chisels ostrich eggs to create these startling reliefs of animals: elephants, giraffes and rhinos.
See also Egg Shell Sculptures »
Snow Crystals In Electron Microscopes
Normally, researchers observe snow crystals at moderate levels of magnification (30X-500X). The electron microscope, however, allows for observation at over 100,000X.
click to see full sized image
50 years of Space Exploration in an Infographic
There is so much of this I hadn't the slightest idea about. It is certainly one of the great strengths of an infographic: being able to take it all in, nearly all at once.